Chapter 29: The Storm
âThat was bracing,â Logan said. âMommy!â Olivia cried, running down the stairs. She jurnped into
Serenaâs arms. âWhere is your brother?â Serena asked, hugging her daughter. âIâll go get him,â Logan
said. Serena nodded. Logan headed upstairs, looking for the young boy. He could hear his soft
whimpers coming from somewhere on the second floor. Oliver wasnât in his bedroom, so Logan
checked Oliviaâs bedroom and then Serenaâs.
He felt like it was an invasion of Serenaâs privacy to be in her bedroom, so he ducked out the moment
he knew Oliver wasnât in there. He doubted sheâd be too happy about him lurking in her room. Though,
the idea brought a subtle smile to his face. Logan found Oliver hiding in the bathroom, curled up in the
bathtub. âHey buddy,â Logan said, kneeling down next to the tub. âWhatâs going on? The child trembled
as he uncurled and looked at the Alpha. âThereâs lightning outside,â he said, his voice shaking. Logan
reached into the tub and scooped Oliver up in his arms. âItâs okay,â he said softly. âInside, we are safe
from the thunder and lightning. Besides, your mom is here, and she will always protect you.â âWill you
stay too?â he asked. Logan started bringing Oliver downstairs. âI can stay,â he said. âOliver, whatâs
wrong, love?â Serena asked, coming over and taking the boy from Loganâs arms. âIâm scared, mommy,â
he said. Serena hugged her son, rubbing his back. Logan watched her with the boy, seeing just how
maternal and warm she was. It was a pleasant change from Hollyâs crudeness. âLogan said heâd stay
for the storm,â Oliver said. âLogan!â Holly snapped, putting her hands on her hips. Logan went over to
Holly and his mother. The wind had picked up outside, howling through the trees. Another clap of
thunder hit and the sky lit up with lightning. âHolly, go home with my mom. Get inside before the storm
gets too bad,â Logan said. âI donât want to go out there without you,â Holly argued. Logan crossed his
arms and looked at his mother.
âCome on, Holly, I canât go out there alone,â Flo said, tugging at Hollyâs arm. âNo, I donât want to go
without you,â Holly insisted. âWhy do you need to stay with them anyway?â
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Chapter 29 The Storm
âThe kids are scared,â Logan said. âIâm just going to stay with them through the storm. Then Iâll come
find you.â âNo,â Holly argued.
âWell, Iâm going.â Flo said. âAnd Holly, if you donât come with me, I could get hurt.â Flo headed for the
front door. Logan raised an eyebrow at Holly. She growled and stamped her foot. âFine! Iâll see you
later,â she said. She took off after Flo. Logan turned back to Serena. âYou donât have to stay,â she said.
âThe kids and I have been through rough storms together before.â
âNo, we want him to stay!â Olivia said, running to Loganâs side and grabbing his hand. Logan smiled
down to her. âThe storm is getting bedâ Logan said. âI donât mind staying if it puts the kids at ease.â
There was another loud bang of thunder that shook the whole house. Both kids screamed and cried.
The sky opened up and rain pelted down on the house, splattering the windows. âCome on,â Serena
said. âLetâs sit on the couch and read a book.â Olivia hopped up on the couch and Serena sat down,
Oliver still clinging to her. âCan you pick a book, Logan?â Olivia asked. Logan nodded, heading to the
book shelf in the living room. Oliver whimpered with each rumble of thunder. âHow about Call of the
Wild?â Logan asked, holding the book up. âIs it about wolves?â Olivia asked. âThere are wolves in it,â
Logan said, coming back to the couch and sitting down with Olivia tucked snugly between him and
Serena. Oliver was still in his motherâs lap. He turned his teary eyes towards Logan as he opened the
book and started reading. It was a good distraction for the kids, and Logan read as calmly and
smoothly as he could. He even used funny voices for the different characters, getting Olivia to laugh
and Oliver to sniffle away his tears. Eventually, Olivia fell asleep leaning against Loganâs arm and
Oliver was asleep in his motherâs arms. âThank you,â Serena said, looking at Logan as he closed the
book. âWe should get them to bed.â Logan picked up Olivia and Serena stood up with Oliver in her
arms. âWeâll put them down in Oliviaâs room. Theyâll want to be together,â she said. Logan nodded,
following her up the stairs. He liked seeing her so gentle with the kids. She put Oliver down in the bed,
tucking him in and kissing his forehead. His red, puffy face relaxed and he squirmed, grabbing for the
nearest pillow to hug. Logan thought back to his morning, hugging a pillow in hopes of not having to get
out of bed.
Turning to him, Serena took Olivia from his arms. She laid the girl down beside her twin, and they
turned towards each other, clinging to each other.
âThe storm is picking up,âLogan said, looking out the window. Branches were bending in the wind, and
rain pelted against the glass.
âI guess youâre stuck here until it passes,â Serena said. Logan smiled at her. The thunder pounded and
the power went out, Serena gasped, clutching at her chest, and the kids sat up in bed, screaming.
Serena grabbed Oliver, and Logan picked up Olivia again. The ground shook, the entire house
trembled. âThat wasnât thunder,â Serena said. Logan looked out the window again, seeing that a few
trees had fallen down.
âTrees are coming down,â he said. âLetâs get to the bathroom.â The kids continued to cry, and no
amount of rocking and hugging would sooth them. They had to feel safe!
In the bathroom, Logan motioned for Serena to get into the tub. She did, sitting down and taking Olivia
in her arms along with Oliver. âYouâll be safe there,â Logan said. âIâm going to check the rest of the
house and bring back a flashlight.â
âThere should be one in the kitchen,â Serena said. âIf not, there are candles in the living room.â Logan
nodded and headed out of the bathroom.
With the power out, the lightning flickered even brighter, making the house and the sky flicker with
brightness. Logan found the flashlight in the kitchen. He raced back upstairs and gave Oliver the
flashlight. He turned it on and the boy looked a little less frightened. âTrees are coming down all over
the neighborhoodâ Logan said. âYou should be safe in here.â Serena nodded.
âIt doesnât feel that way,â she said, hugging her kids tighter. The house swayed in the wind, and Logan
was annoyed that the housing construction wasnât sturdier. âThe storm canât last that much longer,â he
said, trying to be optimistic. Serenaâs smile was weak and didnât reach her eyes. Logan placed a hand
on the backs of each of the twins. There was a creaking sound from outside, the sound of a tree
straining against the wind.
âThatâs the tree in the backyardâ Serena said, eyes widening. Logan rushed to Oliviaâs bedroom so he
could look outside. The wind was tossing the branches around, the tree arching awkwardly, bark
splitting. The tree was going to come down! Back in the bathroom, Logan hopped into the tub with
Serena and the kids. âThe tree in the back is coming down,â he said. âIt might hit the house.â âItâs okay,
babies,â Serena told her kids; rocking them as best she could.
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When the tree split, the crack was almost as loud as thunder! Logan grabbed Oliver, curling around
him. Serena did the same with Olivia, protecting the kids as the roof crumbled in and the tree crashed
down on them.
âOkay.â
Olivia and Oliver screamed. Serena screamed too, her hand reaching out to grab Loganâs arm. Water
poured down on them, leaves and barky scattered over them, but the branches werenât long enough to
actually hit them. âItâs okay,â Logan said firmly. âWeâre all okay.â The rain was letting up. The sounds of
thunder were drifting away into the distance. Logan sat up, uncovering Oliverâs body. He was clinging
to his shirt, crying and whimpering. Serena sat up, breathing deeply. The fear in her eyes tugged at
Loganâs heart. He looked at the tree that had crashed through her roof. The floor of the bathroom had
also caved in, damage to the rooms below was unavoidable, but his only concern was getting them
safely out of the bathroom without the rest of the house crumbling around them. âWeâve got to get out
of here,â Logan said. Serena nodded. Logan took Oliver first, carefully navigating around the tree and
the broken floors. He set Oliver down on the floor in his bedroom, the least damaged room on the
second floor. âDonât leave me,â Oliver said, grabbing at Loganâs arm. âIâve got to go get your sister and
your mother,â he told the boy. âStay right here, hold onto the flashlight so I can find my way back. Be
brave.â He touched Oliverâs cheek. Oliver nodded, tears in his eyes. The floor boards creaked
dangerously under Loganâs weight as he headed back to the bathroom. He held his breath, hoping the
floor wouldnât crumble under him.
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